Chapter 7: Koralee

Last night was rough. Every time I moved, or something, my shoulder hurt, and Will kept waking me up by changing the bandages on my left shoulder. Every time he took it off, which was about every four hours, I look down at it, and every time it looks a little better than it was last time. Chiron said that instead of moving to the infirmary, that I could stay here in the big house until I was ready to go to the Merc- I mean Hermes cabin. Then, the next morning, Will changed my bandages again and gave me this drink that tasted like a spicy quesadilla, which I was really not suspecting, considering the drink had ice, and looked like apple juice. Also, it was strange because I had never actually had a quesadilla, but I knew what they were called because of the Latino restaurant down the street that only good smells come from.

I basically slept all day, because Will told me to. I couldn't stop dreaming about Hanna. He left in the morning, came back at what I assumed was lunch time, and didn't come back before dinner. That's when the girl, Annabeth had called her Drew came in. I was sleeping on the couch, like Will told me to, and I wake up to see someone's face three inches above me. The girl immediately backed up, while I sat up, going rigid, because of my shoulder and the sudden movement.

"Finally. I'v been watching you all day. You're a pretty sound sleeper hon." She was a tall, beautiful, Asian girl with dark hair in ringlets, warm brown eyes, plenty of jewelry and perfect makeup, and she wears lots of pink eyeliner. He put her hand on her hip.

"You're not much for wear, and your ratty clothing and disgusting, might I tell you, disgusting, putrid smell that is coming off of you is lowering my high expectations for you already."

I just stared at her incredulously. Who is this bitch, and who does she think she is?

She just blatantly continued with her self-infatuation," But I on the other hand am absolutely gorgeous. Aren't I?" She didn't even pause to look at me.

"But karma was a bitch to me, giving me these ugly brown eyes. They don't pop, unlike yours which definitely pop off of that ugly face of yours, sweety."

I only hesitated for a moment, "Karma's only a bitch if you are."

She stared at me with bug- eyes, shocked. Inwardly, I beamed in triumph. I've been waiting a long time to use that line.

Just then, Annabeth, and another girl walk in and notice Drew.

They get through their business of why she's here and blah blah blah, until I hear a question aimed at me. I just answer what was on my mind, even though I hadn't heard the question.

" I would like to talk to Annabeth for a bit if you don't mind, Hon." I said in a mockingly sweet tone. I was making fun of how she says hon and sweetie and stuff. Drew stared at me, even more open mouthed, and I lifted an eyebrow. Drew humphed, and left.

Annabeth, and the girl, whose name was Piper, talked to me for a bit, then suggested a shower. I nodded.

Let me tell you about showers. Showers are beautiful machines that allow you to cleanse your body of all dirt, odors, and impurities to leave you in a pristine condition. Unfortunately, I had only taken so many showers on the streets of NY, and they all just happened to be under a garden hose. So when they offer me a shower, like a warm, soapy shower, it's like being offered heaven.

Piper says she is going to go get some supplies for the shower. I cant help but become confused. Don't you only need soap for those? All my grandmother had was soap at her cabin, and all she had was a wash tub to clean ourselves in.

Annabeth ends up leading me to her cabin to take the shower. As we are leaving, I look back at the big house. It was four stories tall, sky blue, with a white trim, and an eagle weather vane on the very top. It looked like a sea side resort with a wraparound porch. On our way to Annabeth's cabin, people look disgusted by my appearance. I can tell. I'm not blind. But this shower will be heavenly, and I can show off how I really look. On our way there, we pass an empty volleyball court, and all of these pretty unique looking buildings which Annabeth said were the other cabins. I just stared at the weird buildings in shock. One was completely silver, and another had grass growing on the roof.

"Why are they all decorated like they are?" I ask Annabeth.

"Every kid here is a demigod, so each cabin here represents a god or goddess, and according to who the kid's parents are, they live in that designated cabin." I could tell that she has gone over this plenty of times.

I mentally guessed which god she was the kid of in my head, hoping I wouldn't offend her, "Are you a child of Minerva?"

Annabeth looked at me strangely, then turned back to see where we were going.

"No. I'm a kid of her Greek counterpart, Athena," She said, then smiled, "What gave it off?"

"You seem very wise, and I know it sounds like the default answer because your the child of the goddess of wisdom, but I can just see you being Athena's child," I ended with a joking smile. Annabeth just laughed, but then regained a steely look. Did I offend her?

We got to what I assumed was the Athena cabin because of the great big stinkin' owl on the door. Once we got In, It was like a mini research center. Books and what looked like research modems scoured the place everywhere, and there was only one person in the cabin. It was a boy. When he heard the door open, he turned around from, his desk, took one look at me and Annabeth, then turned back around, without an expression.

We walked into the bathroom, and Piper was already waiting for us in there.

Before the 'makeover' I took my clothes off and put them in the trash bin, considering they were all torn up, and dirty, and Piper gave me a robe to wear. With a smile on her face she started lathering me with oils, pastes, masks, and exfoliators.

Then she turned the water on for me and I gave her the robe.

I heard over the pressure," So tell us about yourself."

I sighed, the sound echoing around the bathroom because of the shower, "Well, I started out in Minnesota, where my grandmother lived on a reservation."

I remember Grammy well. Her wrinkled face , and her grey hair tied up into a bun on the back of her head. All the others of the tribe were nice too, my best friend Fox and I had a lot of fun together. He was the only best friend I ever had...

"What tribe?" she broke me out of my reverie.

"Menominee."

"What clan?"

"Eagle." I remember the carved eagle with its spread wings and lacquered wood hung on my grandmother's living room wall, over the small hearth. That eagle burned in the fire too...

"Alright, keep going," I hear Piper say.

I hold on a bit to bend down at some of the bottles I had dropped from the armful Piper had given me. I looked down to see a bottle labeled Shampoo, and picked it up, clicked it open, and squeezed some into my palm. Some of the things Piper had put on me earlier washed off well, and some took some scrubbing to get off. All of them made my skin tingly when they were fully off. This is heaven. I looked down. The mud, grime, and blood was washing off of me in a thick stream towards the drain.

I then continued to use all of the bottles that made sense to me, and only using the smallest amount, so I don't overindulge from I was done, and I was reluctant to admit it, I had given Annabeth and Piper some general information about myself, which after I told them I knew nothing about my parents, and when I asked my grandmother, she would just shake her head and mutter "Maeci-Manetow", which basically just meant 'great Spirit' in Menominee language. Basically 'Oh My God'.

( Mats-ih muh-nih-doh pronunciation for you non native folks :))

Piper handed me the bath robe over the stall, and I ringed my hair out before I stepped out. When I looked at Annabeth, and Piper, they were both just staring at me. I looked behind me to make sure s=no one was lurking in the shadows, then looked back at them. Annabeth broke her gaze off of me, and gestured towards the clothes on the counter, and motioned for Piper to follow her out of the bathroom.

"We'll be out here if you need us."

Once they left the bathroom, I realized what they were staring at. I looked in the mirror to see a stranger standing there. She was beautiful. Her eyes were electric blue, she isn't that tall, she has the tan skin of a native like I do, but everything else was different. She had curves, and mid back- length wavy black hair. On closer look, I even noticed that the girl had little freckles dancing across the bridge of her nose. Then I had a thought, this girl is me.

I immediately freak out. I am going to get so much unwanted attention.

I quickly, because of the time limit, use the towel Annabeth left for me to dry my hair. I put the clothes Annabeth put out for me too. I guess I have a friend.

Annabeth and I were the same size, despite our different heights.

I tug on the boots I had on before, that I stole from a Department store, and walk out of the bathroom, not thinking of doing anything to my hair.

It looked like I interrupted Piper and Annabeth in the middle of a conversation where they were arguing. I looked around. The boy from earlier had already left.

They just looked at me and Piper made a face at Annabeth as if she were saying see?

I subconsciously twiddled with a piece of my black wavy hair, which was softer than I'd ever felt it in my life.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at Piper. Then turned towards me, "Are you ready to go to dinner?" And with that, a bell chimed in the distance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note:

How do you like it?